Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue vs. Sam Goodman is being finalized for December 24th in Tokyo, Japan. Promoter Bob Arum says the Japanese superstar Inoue’s title defense against #1 IBF and WBO Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs) will come on Christmas Eve.
Arum told Dan Rafael on X that Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) has a “Major fight” in the U.S. in April 2025 in Las Vegas. Top Rank promoter Arum isn’t giving any hints about who Inoue will fight, but fans hope he moves up to 126 to face one of the champions.
There’s not much fan interest outside of Australia in a fight between Inoue, 31, and Sam Goodman because this clash is seen as another mismatch for the Japanese star. Goodman, 25, has very little punching power and has been given his #1 ranking from wins over these three:
– Chainoi Worawut
– Miguel Flores
– Ra’eese Aleem
– TJ Doheny
Inoue vs. Goodman will attract much interest from fans in Japan and Australia but not elsewhere. The Australian Goodman is a fighter similar to Paul Butler and will be on the run against Inoue. Fans believe Inoue is just milking his undisputed super bantamweight crown against the weak opposition in the barren-of-talent 122-lb division.
They believe that Inoue knows he’s got a good thing going for himself in this dead division, so he’s milking it for all it’s worth. If Inoue moves up to the featherweight weight class, which is loaded with talent, things would be much different for him. Inoue would lose repeatedly, and his star would dim rapidly, even in his native Japan.
As such, Inoue stays rooted to the spot at the weak 122-lb division, taking the easy fights against lesser fighters like Goodman, 37-year-old TJ Doheny, Luis Nery, Marlon Tapales, and the light-hitting Stephen Fulton.
At 122, Inoue is being angled for a fight against fellow countryman Junto Nakatani, who holds the WBC bantamweight belt and has been scoring many knockouts. Nakatani is expected to stay at 118-lb to try and capture one or more belts before moving up to super bantamweight to challenge Inoue for his undisputed crown. That fight will do big numbers in Japan and could interest many fans in the U.S. provided it’s not shown early in the morning.
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